How to schedule a text message on iPhone to send later

If it’s too late at night or too important to forget, you can schedule a text message to be sent at a later time.

Messages can be scheduled as far as 14 days ahead, and your recipient won’t know the message was scheduled. It shows a dashed line until it’s time to send, and it’s delivered even if all your devices are offline. You can also change the send time, edit the message, or delete it.

Note: Scheduling requires iMessage, but your recipient can use any device, and they won’t know the message was scheduled. To reschedule, edit, or delete a scheduled message, you need to be online.

Schedule a message

You can schedule a message up to 14 days into the future.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
2. Go to the conversation where you want to schedule a message or start a conversation.
3. Tap the Add button, then tap Send Later.
4. Tap the time to open the scheduler and then choose when you want to send your message.

   The border of the text field turns into a dashed line, and the time your message will be sent appears at the top of the message.

5. Enter a message, then tap the Send button.

   The message appears with a dashed line until it’s time to send it, and it’s delivered even if all your devices are offline.

Note: Scheduled messages are encrypted and stored on Apple servers only until they’re sent. When a message is sent, it’s removed from Apple servers, the balloon becomes a solid color, and its dashed line disappears.

Edit, delete, or reschedule a scheduled message

Before its delivery time, you can edit, delete, or reschedule a message at any time, or send it immediately.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
2. Go to the conversation with the scheduled message you want to edit.

   If you don’t see your message, scroll down to the bottom of the conversation. Scheduled messages may appear below sent messages.

3. Do any of the following:
   • Edit it: Touch and hold the message bubble, tap Edit, make any changes, and tap the Send Edit button to resend with edits or the Cancel Edit button to revert.
   • Delete it: Touch and hold the message bubble, then tap Delete. When you delete a message before its scheduled time, it’s canceled and not delivered to the recipient.
   • Reschedule it: Tap Edit beside the date (above your scheduled message), tap Edit Time, choose a new time, and then tap away from the schedule to commit the new time.
   • Send it immediately: Tap Edit beside the date (above your scheduled message). Tap Send Message.